P&P: How Darcy met Elizabeth

by MJanie001

Modern variation of P&P, traditional style. Elizabeth Bennet is a young and upcoming photographer who is about to cross paths with the proud, arrogant, and handsome Mr. Darcy. From the moment, they meet Elizabeth finds him to be rude, controlling, and snobbish. While Darcy finds himself equally annoyed and intrigued by this new acquaintance with the captivating brown eyes.(c)

47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Lady Catherine Objects

Lady Catherine sat at her large over-sized desk and spent the morning angrily brooding over her nephew's decision to ignore her advice and pursue a relationship with Elizabeth Bennet. She received the most horrific news of his engagement to that woman as soon as she woke and read the morning headlines. It was the top story in the society news. As she thought about how disrespectfully her nephew treated her, her temper flared again. She could not understand where she went wrong with Fitzwilliam and Anne. She tried tirelessly to advise them both as they made their way from childhood to adulthood, and yet they both rebelled against her and caused her nothing but pain. It was the sound of her phone ringing that interrupted her gloomy thoughts, "Hello John," she greeted her brother and then wasted no time in telling him all about Elizabeth, "She's nothing but a gold digger and a fortune seeker. She will drag Georgiana down as well. No eligible young man of any real worth or value would ever marry her if Fitzwilliam marries that woman," she told him. "He's going to lead the entire family into ruination. Our beloved sister would be heartbroken to see him marrying someone so clearly unworthy of the name Darcy!" she told him then added, "My own heart is breaking, I have wept all morning over this engagement news" she cried.

Lord John Fitzwilliam tried to be patient, "I appreciate that you have called me Catherine," he told her. "I plan to speak with Richard about this matter later this morning and let him know that we want to meet the young lady for ourselves. We are not happy about how this has all come about," he told her.

"When you do meet with her, you will see that everything I have said about her is true," she assured him. "Why I have already had several calls this morning from longtime family friends, friends who knew both his mother and father ..." she emphasized, "Friends who are shocked and sadden to see such news circulating around like common gossip. Even Lady Fairfield called, she hoped to hear that the story was nothing but false rumors. Sadly, I had to tell her it was all too true," she told him. "John, you must help me put a stop to this. We cannot let him destroy his life this way. For the sake of Anne's memory as well as for his own good."

John knew his sister tended to be overly dramatic, but he had to admit he was disappointed not to have heard the news of Darcy's upcoming marriage firsthand from his nephew. The fact that his sister told him first, and then Darcy sent Richard to speak with him, gave him some reason for concern. "Catherine, I will be in touch soon. I promise you, I will speak with Darcy. I want to hear from him before I make any further judgments on how to proceed."

Lady Catherine was confident her brother would see things her way, "Very well, John. I will wait to hear from you before I speak with my lawyer concerning Georgiana's future living situation," she said before hanging up the phone. She glanced down at her watch; it was just after nine. She sat back in her chair and lamented how ungrateful this generation was and their total lack of regard for tradition.

Charlotte finished her breakfast just as Collins was coming down the stairs. He looked exhausted and had the same haggard look on his face he had the night before, "You should not have let me sleep in so late," he told her as he grabbed a bagel and some tea.

Charlotte tried not to sound too defensive, "You were so exhausted you would not wake up," she told him. "Your alarm went off several times, and you slept through it."

He drank down his tea and took a bite of his bagel. "Still you should have tried harder to wake me," he continued telling her. "Now I shall have to explain to Lady Catherine why I was not there at my usual time."

She was getting annoyed. "Collins, I took the liberty of calling her this morning and telling her that you are unwell. I told her you were having stomach troubles."

He looked at her in frustration, "Why on earth would you do that?" he demanded to know.

She held up her phone to him so he could read the text from Elizabeth confirming her engagement to Mr. Darcy. "I thought perhaps you might want to stay clear of Lady Catherine until she has time to come to terms with this news."

Collins took her phone into his hand and read over the exchange more closely. His mouth dropped open, and he slumped back into the chair and sat down at the table. "Oh no!" was all he whispered as he handed back the phone to his wife.

After several moments of silence Charlotte looked at him and shook her head, "Will it really be that bad?" she asked, feeling sorry for him.

He tried to smile at her, but it was of little use, "It will be worse," was all he said as he dropped the bagel, pulled himself up from the table and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Charlotte asked him.

"To bed," he told her. "Suddenly I do feel very sick to my stomach today. If Lady Catherine should call, please tell her I'm indisposed," he said. He got as far as the stairs then turned back to Charlotte, "Thank you for calling in for me."

Charlotte smiled, "I will bring you up some tea in a little while," she told him. She watched as she made his way back up the stairs. It was all so strange; she thought to herself as she walked over to the window. Charlotte looked out towards Rosings Manor. "How could such wonderful news for some, be such terrible news for another."

Richard motioned for Georgiana to come into the room, even though he was on the phone with his father. "Yes, Father I have met her. I told you she's perfect for him in every way," he assured him. "Yes, Darcy knows you will want to meet her before they marry," he said. "No, I don't believe he's trying to hide anything from you. It's just as I already explained to you, things happened rather quickly, he was going to tell you himself, but there wasn't time before the press got a hold of the story."

Georgiana could hear her uncle's loud voice coming through the phone, and he sounded upset. She walked over and stood near the sofa. She felt bad for Richard, William really should have at least called their aunt and uncle himself.

"Yes," Richard assured him. "Of course, Darcy wants you to meet her. Yes, I promise you, he cares about what you have to say," he told his father again. "I'm sure they are planning an engagement celebration. Yes, you and Mother are invited."

Georgiana smiled and whispered, "Tell them this Saturday, there will be a small get together here at the house so that they can meet Elizabeth."

Richard nodded his head, "Father, Georgie just reminded me that Darcy said they are planning a small get together at the house here in London on Saturday, and you and Mother are to come," he explained. "Yes, I should have mentioned that before, but I have been busy fielding calls all morning," he commented. "Yes, of course, we will invite Aunt Catherine, but with how angry she is I don't hold much hope of her coming," he said as he rolled his eyes at Georgiana, "All right, yes, we will see you on Saturday, and I will give Darcy your best wishes. Goodbye," he said then hung up the phone, "Running interference for your brother has become a full-time job this morning. Remind me to tell him he owes me a large raise," he told her as he turned his phone off. "I need a little quiet for a while," he commented, then asked, "When did Darcy decide on having this dinner party? He didn't mention it to me?"

Georgiana laughed, "He didn't decide to have one," she told him. "I did."

Richard took in another long deep breath, "You did?"

She smiled, "It will be fine, besides when I came in and overheard you talking with Uncle John it became very clear to me that the only way to keep the peace was for them to meet Elizabeth as soon as possible. Once they have met her, they will love her," she assured him.

Richard ran his hands through his hair, "Yes, but will Darcy and Elizabeth like you planning this get together for them?"

She ignored his comment, "Now I think for this first meeting with our family we should not overwhelm them, or Elizabeth with a huge gathering," she told him. "I thought maybe it should just be you, and I, Aunt Catherine and ..."

"Aunt Catherine will not come, so you won't have to worry about her. I will send her an invitation that she will quickly reject, and that will be that," he told her as he walked over and sat down on the sofa.

"All right then it will be you, me, Elizabeth, and Darcy," she suggested.

"We need a few more guest so that my father won't be suspicious. We want him to believe that Darcy really planned this out for them to meet Elizabeth and get to know her," Richard reminded her.

Georgiana nodded her head in agreement, "You are right, so what if we invite, Charles, Jane, and her sister Kitty as well?"

Richard shook his head, "We can't invite Kitty and Jane, and then not invite her parents and her other sister."

Georgiana walked over and sat down across from him. "But do we want to make it too large a group? Won't Uncle John prefer it to be more an intimate setting?"

Richard looked over at her. "Yes, knowing my father as I do he would prefer that," he commented. "Fine, but when you call Jane and invite her and her sisters, explain the situation as best you can and add that this is just a first meeting. Tell her it's going to be a casual get together and not an elaborate affair. Let her know that you are eager to meet Elizabeth's sisters, that way her parents won't feel slighted."

Georgie's eyes grew wide, "You want me to call them?!" she asked suddenly feeling very panicked. "I have never spoken to any of them before."

Richard smiled, "This was your idea, Georgie," he told her. "So you need to plan it all out, and make it all happen."

Georgiana pouted, "Oh please Richard?" she began to ask, "You are so good at talking to people..."

"Oh no, that sad, pouty face look stopped working on me years ago," he told her as he stood up. "Oh, and I think you should be the one to tell Darcy as well," he said as he walked over to the door.

"Where are you going?" Georgiana called out. "You're not really going to just leave this to me are you!?"

Richard stopped and turned back toward her. "Yes, because I know you will handle it," he assured her before he left.

Georgiana bit her lip. She thought about what to do first and decided she needed to speak with their cook; she wanted the staff to have as much notice as possible to make plans for the dinner party. Then she worked up the courage and called Charles; she decided she would explain everything to him and ask him to invite Elizabeth's sisters discreetly. Once that was done she headed upstairs, she wanted to practice how she would break the news to her brother once he and Elizabeth arrived.

Jane sat across from her mother at the table and listened patiently as they went over some final wedding plans. "Mum, I spoke to Charles, and we have decided to keep this a small wedding," she told her. "We will, of course, invite family and close family friends, but I don't want the press or people from work that I barely know attending."

Mrs. Bennet took in a deep breath, "Jane, we have gone over this, you must invite the people you have worked with at the agency. There are those in the fashion industry who would feel slighted if you didn't ask them to attend and that might hurt your career."

Jane worked up her courage and looked at her mother directly, "I'm not going to continue working after Charles, and I are married," she told her.

Mrs. Bennet looked up at her daughter, "Oh, well I thought that you would work for a while longer, at least until you and Charles have your first child."

Jane shook her head, "No I don't want to, and Charles doesn't really want me to either," she told her. "We want to spend our time together. With the schedule modeling requires, that would be almost impossible," she told her.

Her mother reached over and squeezed her daughter's hand, "Of course your marriage should come first dear," she told her, her voice filled with understanding.

Jane's eyes narrowed, "You did hear what I said, didn't you?" she asked her. "I'm seriously planning on quitting after my last obligations are up. I don't want you to take on any more work for me."

Mrs. Bennet looked up at her and smiled, "Yes dear I understand."

"You're unusually understanding about this, Mum," Jane commented. "Why?"

Mrs. Bennet laughed, "What an odd thing to say, Jane," she told her. "I'm always very understanding when it comes to my girls. I can understand your desire to be with your husband. It makes perfect sense to me."

Jane felt bad for doubting her. "Well thank you for being so understanding."

Mrs. Bennet shrugged her shoulders, "Besides with you marrying Charles you will not ever have to work again if you don't want to. He's so rich; he will be able to take care of you. That's exactly the reason I always wanted you girls to marry well."

Before Jane could remind her mother that she was marrying Charles because she loved him and not for his money, her Aunt Philips showed up. "Oh, Fanny I just came from town, and everyone is talking about our Lizzy and Jane marrying two of the country's most eligible bachelors," she told her as she rushed into the room. "Why even Mrs. Lucas was green with envy. I could see it when I told her the news."

She knew what this was leading to, so she excused herself. "Mum I'm going to see Charles. I will be back later," she told her as she slipped out the door. Neither woman noticed as they continued gossiping about their neighbor's reaction to the wonderful news.

Jane headed out the front door to her car when Charles pulled up to the front of the house. She was delighted to see him. "I was just coming to see you."

Charles greeted her with a kiss then said, "I think perhaps it's better if we have our lunch here or we could go into town if you like, but Netherfield is not the place you want to be today."

Jane guessed why. "Caroline is not taking the news of Darcy engagement to my sister very well?"

Charles smiled, "That would be an understatement," he told her.

"I do feel bad for her," she told him. "I do hope she will be able to move on from her disappointment."

Charles took her hand in his and led her off toward the garden, "Jane you have such a caring heart and its very kind of you to be concerned for her," he told her. "But Darcy did nothing to encourage Caroline if she's suffering from any kind of disappointment it's of her own doing," he told her.

Jane nodded her head, "I know you are right," she agreed. "You do believe she will be able to get over this though with time, don't you?"

Charles leaned down and kissed her hand. "You really are such a caring person," he told her. "Caroline will be fine. She just has a lot to deal with right now, because I spoke with her about getting her own place and a job."

Jane looked at him in surprise, "Surely you didn't still cut off her funds today after she was already dealing with the news of my sister's engagement?"

"I know it may seem like bad timing, but Jane I had to," Charles told her. "If I didn't do something now to reign in her spending and irresponsible ways she would only continue to get worse. She will be fine. I spoke to Harold, and he will be helping her to adjust to her new budget."

"How did she take the news, when you told her?" Jane asked him.

Charles shrugged his shoulders. "About as well as you might expect," he told her. "She was angry at first, then she tried to manipulate me into changing my mind with tears and emotional blackmail, but in the end, she threatened to sue me."

"Can she do that?" Jane asked him.

Charles shook his head, "No," he told her. "She will find that out soon enough when she does finally speak with Harold. She's back at Netherfield right now packing. She has threatened to never speak to me again unless I give into her. I suspect by this evening she will show up at Louisa's, but she will not find any sympathy there either. My father left her the same trust funds he left to myself and Louisa, but she will not work and take care of herself, and we are just both tired of dealing with her behavior."

Jane let out a small sigh, "I know what you're doing is the right thing to do, but I still can't help but feel bad for her."

Charles pulled Jane close to him. "That's why I love you as I do," he told her. "You care about others even if they don't really deserve it," he said as he leaned down and gave her a soft tender kiss. "Now enough of that unpleasant talk. I wanted to tell you I heard from Georgiana this morning and she asked me to extend an invitation on Darcy and Elizabeth's behalf to you, and your two sisters."

"An invitation to what?" Jane asked him.

"It seems Darcy will be having a dinner on Saturday night at his home in London. He wants Elizabeth to meet his Aunt and Uncle Fitzwilliam," he explained everything that Georgiana told him. "She said she was very much looking forward to meeting you and your sisters as well."

Jane was puzzled that Lizzy didn't mention anything to her about it herself, "Strange, Lizzy didn't mention any party to me. But of course I will let my sisters know, and we will all attend. You can let Georgiana know for me. I think Lizzy will be able to relax more if she meets with his family first before introducing our mum to them."

Charles smiled, he was relieved that she understood, "I do think that was what Darcy was hoping for."

Jane smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You know it is getting to be lunch time," she told him. "We have two choices..." she whispered, "We can go in and join my mum and Aunt Philips for lunch and hear all the latest gossip, or we can go into town and have a nice quiet lunch just the two of us."

Charles pulled her closer, "I think we should go for choice number two. It has been such a long time since I have had you all to myself," he told her as he leaned down and captured her lips with his own.

Caroline finished her packing not long after Charles left, then she called to have the car brought around. "I need to be driven to my sister's home in London," she told Charles's driver.

Harold shook his head, "Of course Miss Bingley," he said as he picked up her cases and led the way out to the car. He could see she was angry so he decided it was best to not say or do anything to further provoke her. Once Caroline was settled into the car, and they were on their way she pulled out her phone and called her sister. "Louisa, you will not believe how horrible Charles has been to me this morning," she began telling her.

Louisa knew this call would be coming, she took in a deep breath and listened as her younger sister told her everything that happened. "I know you're upset. Learning of Darcy's engagement from the news must have been such a shock, but I think you should reconsider this present course of action that you're on."

Caroline shook her head in confusion, "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"You don't want to burn any bridges with Darcy, or with Charles," she told her. "Just calm down before you do anything or say anything that you can't take back. After all, Elizabeth Bennet is Jane's sister."

Caroline sniffled in, "It's not just that Darcy has abandoned all good sense and decided to marry her..." she bit out each word, "Charles has been most cruel in cutting me off completely. He has thrown me out of the house and insists that I must go and live on my own!"

Louisa tried to take a diplomatic approach, "Caroline I know this all seems rather frightening now but try to be positive. Perhaps things are not so bad as you think they are," she told her. "You know Charles would never turn you out into the street; he just wants to help you see that maybe it's time to take on more of life's responsibilities.

Caroline was beginning to feel annoyed with her sister, "You almost sound like your taking Charles's side in all of this," she told her. "Did you not hear what I just said. Charles is cutting me off. He's taking away my credit cards and money!"

Louisa cleared her throat, "No he's asking you to live within a budget you can afford," she corrected her.

Caroline was angry, "You are taking his side, now you sound just like him!"

"Caroline, our father left you a trust fund to live on, but month after month you go beyond that and have always expected Charles to be there to bail you out," she told her. "He has tried to help you get your spending under control, but you just won't listen."

"You knew he was planning this all along!" she accused her. "You knew he was going to give me this ultimatum, didn't you?"

Louisa hated arguing with her sister, but she knew the time had come that she had to be firm and stand her ground. "Caroline, we both love you, but you can't keep taking advantage of Charles as you have. He's going to marry Jane Bennet whether you like it or not and start a family. It's time you grow up too," she reminded her. "You are older than Charles. Perhaps it's time you start behaving like it. Charles said if your trust fund is not enough for you to live on that he had a position open at his offices here in London, why not consider accepting that?"

Caroline was hurt and offended, "I shouldn't have to work at father's firm like a lowly secretary!" she yelled into the phone.

Louisa could tell her sister wasn't going to listen, "Then you will have to learn to live off your trust," she told her. "You are welcome to come and stay here with me for a few weeks but then you need to move into your own place, and you need to get your life together."

Caroline began crying, "So you are abandoning me as well!" she accused her.

"Charles and I are not abandoning you!" she told her. "Things are not as bad as you are making them out to be. Now I must go, you are welcome to come here if you can be civil and are willing to work toward the goal of being responsible for a change."

Caroline was too angry to say anything more. She hung up her phone and wiped her eyes dry. "I suppose you have taken my brother to see our lawyers before?" she snapped at Harold.

"Yes, miss I have driven him there on several occasions," Harold told her.

Caroline looked down at her watch; it was already getting late in the day and right now she had nowhere to go. She sniffled in, wiped her eyes, and said, "Take me there now."

"Of course, Miss." was all Harold had said before she closed the window separating the front of the car from the back.

Georgiana waited until after they finished dinner to tell Darcy and Elizabeth about the upcoming party she committed them to on Saturday. She looked over at Richard and smiled, "So Richard and I have something to tell you both," she said rather sheepishly.

Richard looked up at her in surprise; he knew where this was headed, "You, my dear cousin, are a coward," he teased her.

Darcy looked from one to the other. "Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like this news," he asked them both.

Elizabeth smiled, "Probably because you won't," she told him as she turned to Georgiana. "Tell us your news," she encouraged her.

Georgiana looked back at Richard; she was suddenly feeling much less confident now than she was that morning. She cleared her throat and looked down at the table. "Well you see Richard was on the phone this morning with Uncle Fitz, and it wasn't going so well," she began. "He was rather upset, I could hear him through the phone, he was talking so loud," she told them.

Darcy looked over at Richard, "Was he really very upset?" he asked his cousin.

Richard took in a deep breath, "I wouldn't say he was angry, more like annoyed that you didn't tell him the news yourself. I don't think he liked hearing it from Aunt Catherine and then me. I know my mother was not happy that the news media got wind of it before she has even met Elizabeth."

Darcy let out a small sigh, "I should have spoken to them both myself. I hope you explained that things just happened so fast and that, of course, I do plan on them both meeting Elizabeth very soon."

Richard looked back over and Georgiana, "Go ahead, tell them since it was your idea after all," he urged her.

Georgiana hesitated, then she looked over at Elizabeth for support. "Well because I knew that Uncle Fitz was upset and I knew you would both not want to hurt anyone's feelings I..." she paused when she heard Darcy take a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.

Elizabeth smiled, "When?" she asked already knowing what Georgiana was about to say.

She looked at Elizabeth with relief in her eyes, "Saturday," she told her.

Elizabeth reached over and gently squeezed her hand, "How many?"

"Just a few," she looked over at Richard, then back to Elizabeth and said, "We thought something smaller more intimate at first would be best."

Darcy was getting slightly annoyed, "Not to interrupt, but could someone please tell me what you're talking about," he asked them both.

Elizabeth turned to Darcy and smiled, "We are having a small party, dinner probably with your aunt and uncle here on Saturday."

Darcy looked over at Georgiana, "You told Uncle Fitz that we were planning a dinner party for this Saturday?" he asked her.

Georgiana nodded her head, "Yes, but only because I knew how important it was to you for them to get to know Elizabeth before Aunt Catherine had a chance to try and sway them any more than she already has," she said defending her actions.

Elizabeth gently squeezed Georgiana's hand, "I think it was a genius idea. I'm looking forward to meeting them. Who have you planned to invite?"

"Well, we thought it could be Richard, myself, you two, of course, Charles, and Jane and maybe your sisters, Kitty and Mary," Georgiana told her.

Richard added, "We thought perhaps you might feel comfortable with that guest list," he offered hoping she wasn't offended that they had left off her mother and father for this occasion.

"No if we are going to do this then we must invite your parents as well," he told Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked at him in disbelief. "I think it would be better just to include Kitty, Jane, and Mary at first. That way your aunt and uncle will not be overwhelmed with my relations before they get to know me," she told him then she turned to Georgiana. "Did you speak with Charles yet?"

"Yes this morning," she told her.

Elizabeth looked for a delicate way to say what she was going to say next, "Did you express to him that we wanted to keep things small and that perhaps it was best if he let Jane know not to mention it in front of my mother?"

Georgiana nodded her head, "Yes I told him this was to be a very casual affair and a chance for me to meet your sisters."

Elizabeth smiled, she knew Jane would understand and handle things with both Mary and Kitty, "Good."

Georgiana looked at her intently. "You really think it is a good idea then?" she asked hoping her friend would not be too upset with her.

"I do think it was a great idea," she told her honestly. "It will be a nice evening, and we both thank you for stepping in for us like that," she assured her. She looked back over at Darcy and smiled, "Don't worry, it will be fun."

Georgiana was clearly relieved, "Oh I'm so glad to hear you say that," she told her.

Darcy wasn't so sure, but he didn't want to make his sister feel bad. He realized it was his responsibility to tell his family the news and it wasn't fair for Darcy to leave it to Richard as he did. He made a mental note to apologize to him later. He knew Elizabeth was being a good sport about things, but he wondered what she really thought about meeting his uncle and aunt on such short notice.

Elizabeth listened as they discussed the plans for the dinner. Darcy approved of Georgiana's choices and seemed to relax with it all. She thought about meeting his aunt and uncle and how that would go. His Aunt Catherine would have told them all about her by now. She imagined all the things she would have said, about how Elizabeth was beneath Darcy social circle. How she came from "poor" relations, and how ungrateful she was for all of Lady Catherine's attempts to help. Lady Catherine made it clear she would do her best to let everyone know she believed Elizabeth to be nothing more than a gold digger looking for a rich husband. She could only imagine what she must have told his family concerning her sister's marriage to Wickham. She looked over at Darcy, "I'm feeling a bit warm," she said as she pushed herself away from the table. "Would you mind terribly if I went out to get a bit of fresh air?"

Darcy saw the expression on her face; he knew she was troubled about something. "No go ahead, these doors open to the terrace," he told her as he got up and helped her out of her chair. "I will come and join you in a moment," he whispered as she got up and walked toward the door.

Elizabeth stood outside on the terrace overlooking the cityscape of London. It was beautiful the way the lights seemed to glow against the evening sky. It wasn't long before Darcy came out to join her. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

She nodded her head, "Yes, I'm all right."

"Are you sure?" he asked again, "I don't want you to go through with this dinner party just for Georgiana's sake. If it's too soon, we can hold off on meeting my family."

"No, really it's fine," she assured him. "Besides this whole party is kind of our fault," she said as she turned in his arms and looked up into his eyes, "You should have spoken to them personally, and I should have placed a muzzle on my mother until both our families were told," she told him.

He smiled, "I was thinking the same thing," he agreed, then realizing what he had just said he quickly added, "I mean about me telling my family not your mother needing a muzzle."

Elizabeth laughed and arched her brow, "Are you sure about that?" she teased him. "Can you honestly tell me you wouldn't prefer it if my mother were just a little more restrained in her enthusiasm."

Darcy thought about it for a moment then said, "Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if she were a little less vocal. But in this case, I honestly don't mind that she let the world know we are to be married. I love you, and I don't care who knows it."

Elizabeth smiled, "Oh that was a very good answer, Mr. Darcy," she teased him. "I do think you are learning to be a very good diplomat."

Darcy pulled her closer, "I mean every word," he told her as he looked into her eyes. He couldn't get over how lovely she looked standing there before him. "Have I told you how beautiful you look in the moonlight Lizzy," he whispered softly. "Reminds me of another time I saw you standing underneath the evening stars with the soft glow of the moon bathing you in its light."

She smiled, "And when was this Mr. Darcy?" she asked pretending not to know.

"It was at my aunt's party. I saw you outside with Richard dancing and laughing in the moonlight," he reminded her. "I was so jealous, all I could think about that night was how much I wanted it to be me holding you in my arms, and kissing you under the stars."

Elizabeth reached up and gently brushed the hair away from his forehead, "Well Mr. Darcy if you still feel so inclined to do so," she teased him. "You could kiss me now," she said her eyes sparkling with mischief. "After all we are standing in the gardens, the moon is shining, and the stars are all out."

His breath caught in his chest, he loved the way she teased him. Darcy loved how she flirted with him when they were alone together. He leaned down and captured her lips with his. Elizabeth leaned in closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. As their kiss deepened, she ran her fingers through his hair and pressed her body closer. Having him hold her, having him kiss her, and caress her, suddenly made it very tempting for Elizabeth to take things further between the two of them. She felt herself wanting to be closer to him, to feel his touch and caress more intimately. She was surprised by her own reactions and the effect his kiss was having on her. She forced herself to pull back and regain control. She ended their kiss and pulled away just a little. Her face was flush with excitement, and her breathing was just a little ragged.

Darcy wasn't ready to let her go, more than anything he wanted to take her in his arms and carry her upstairs to his room and then... With his mind filled with visions of the two of them together, he pulled her closer once again and leaned down to kiss her.

Elizabeth pulled back, "Will, I think we should go back inside," she reluctantly told him.

He could tell something was wrong, "Lizzy what is it?" he asked her, his voice filled with concern.

She blushed, even more, she truly never had to have this conversation with any other man she dated before. "I just think we should limit how much time we spend alone together before we are married."

Darcy was confused, "You don't want to spend time alone with me?" he asked her, feeling a bit hurt. "I didn't think the prospect of standing in the moonlight sharing a kiss would be so awful," he commented not understanding the inner conflict she was having.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Oh no! It's not that I don't want to be alone with you," she assured him. "It's just that I find myself struggling in a way I never have before," she finally admitted. "When I'm alone with you," she whispered softly as she looked up into his eyes, "When you look into my eyes and hold me in your arms..." she continued. "I find myself very much wanting..."

He was beginning to understand, "Wanting what?" he whispered his voice heavy with emotion as he began gently kissing the corner of her mouth.

Elizabeth moaned softly, she felt her resolve falter just a little, her heartbeat quickened as she whispered one single word, "more…" she leaned in the few inches they were apart and kissed him again.

Darcy could barely contain his own emotions, to think that she wanted him as much as he did her drove him to distraction, but he knew he had to restrain himself, he knew deep down the time for the two of them to be together completely was on their wedding night. This time he was the one to pull away, he took in a very deep breath and stared into her eyes, "Elizabeth Bennet you are the most captivating woman I have ever met. My aunt was right about one thing you have bewitched me completely," he said as he gently slid his hand down her arm and took her hand in his. "And as extremely hard as this is for me to say," he told her as he turned back toward the house. "I do think we should go back inside," he told her as he began to pull her along after him.

Elizabeth knew he understood and she loved him even more for it. She stopped for just a moment and pulled him back around to face her. "Thank you."

He smiled, "For what exactly?"

"For allowing me to keep this promise I made to myself a long time ago," she told him. "I know it's not easy, especially in today's world where most couples sleep together on the first date but that you are willing to wait and understand how important this is to me, means so much to me."

Darcy leaned over and kissed the top of her nose, "Lizzy, I think you are more than worth the wait and I want you to know that the things that matter to you, matter to me. I love you. Even though it requires more restraint, then I think I have ever exerted in my life, I can manage as long as it will not be too long."

She laughed, "Perhaps we should settle on a date for the wedding then Mr. Darcy," she teased him.

"Give me a date, and I will be there," he told her.

"I don't want to wait long, but we at least have to wait until Jane and Charles are back from their honeymoon. Jane has to be there to stand up with me," she told him.

Darcy told her, "Charles told me this morning that he plans to take Jane to the French Rivera for two weeks after they are married."

Elizabeth thought about it, "That means the soonest we could marry would be December."

Darcy smiled, "I guess we could have a Christmas wedding."

Elizabeth thought about it, "It would be a beautiful time to get married, but then we will have to wait another four months," she reminded him. "Would you really be all right with that?"

Darcy lifted her hand to his lips, "It will be a test of my willpower," he told her honestly. "But if it is what you want, then yes I will be all right with that," he told her before stealing one last kiss then turning to go back inside. This time she allowed him to lead her into the dining room where they spent the rest of the evening talking about their upcoming plans for their dinner party.